U.S. Regulation Snare Drum: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This snare drum was made by Rudolf Wurlitzer and Bros. in Cincinnati, Ohio, about 1883. It has a wood shell with a painted shield with red and white stripes, and the letters “U. S.” The hoops are stained black and are held together by 8 metal tension rods. The drum has a gut snare and skin heads. The printed label inside the shell reads:

Rudolph Wurlitzer & Bros. MANUFACTURERS OF Drums and Band Instruments OF EVERY DESCRIPTION AND STYLE No 115 MAIN STREET Send for catalogue Cincinnati, O.

This drum features specifications of military snare drums adopted on July 9, 1886. It was transferred to the Smithsonian in 1884, and possibly may be an early prototype made by Wurlitzer as it lacks any date of contract information required by the Quartermaster General specifications.

Materials, dates and provenance

• date made: ca 1883
• maker: Rudolph Wurlitzer & Bros.
• Object Name: drum
• Physical Description: wood (overall material)
• Physical Description: metal (overall material)
• Measurements: overall: 11 in x 19 in x 19 in; 27.94 cm x 48.26 cm x 48.26 cm
• place made: United States: Ohio, Cincinnati
• ID Number: MI.093194
• accession number: 14682
• catalog number: 093194
• Credit Line: Transfer from the War Department
• Data Source: National Museum of American History

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of American History through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed.